Where do I begin with this one? I came across this on a facebook group and I thought it was a trivial article that really doesn’t matter all that much and was completely benign. Have a quick read and see what you think.

I’d be interested to read what your initial reactions are to this.

For starters the title is a misnomer. Google hasn’t made any principled stand for veganism which could be described as ‘Google goes vegan’. And the rage surrounding the emoji change is essentially just kicking around water in the kiddie pool of moral issues–while completely ignoring a torrential undercurrent of actual moral distress.

The more I analysed this, the more the mistake of Google’s decision was clear. The key line which I caught, as telling, was this: ‘The Internet giant has removed the egg from its salad emoji–in case it offends vegans.’ This is insightful as it provides the reasoning why Google has made this decision and, more broadly, an example of how they possibly operate as a corporation.

Google decided to do this ‘in case they offend vegans’– which comes off as incredibly politically correct. The possibility of offense was enough to stop their behavior in its tracks. Furthermore, they think that vegans are the type of people to be offended by something as trivial as an emoji. A vast majority people who become vegan do so as a principled stand about the use, and horrid treatment of, animals–as well as the animal industry’s immense impact on environmental issues.

This is why I made the decision go vegan–as a person who cares about doing what is morally just in relation to a serious moral failure in our society. Naturally, I felt Google’s reasoning for this decision was incredibly patronising. I don’t find emojis offensive, I find actual suffering and harm offensive.

I was never exactly sure what the term ‘politically correct’ meant; as it was used as a slur on the news quite often. But here the issue is crystal clear for me. Let me unpack the many levels of wrong happening in this line of reasoning.
Google, a global, multi-billion dollar corporation presumes themselves as a parent to free vegan adults who, as Google predicts, will act out irrationally in offensive to their egg salad emoji. A digital egg which, to be overbearingly clear, relates to no actual animal and therefore no moral mistreatment.

To counter this prediction, Google capitulates to this expected adult temper tantrum, ahead of it happening. Now, I am not a parent; but is it not bad parenting to give into a child’s temper tantrum? One should not mitigate their behaviour around someone else’s, especially irrational, behaviour–I think this should be even more clear on how a corporation should behave.

Google has misappropriated the moral reasoning of veganism (which a quick google search would have informed them of). And perhaps even worse, they think of the public as superficial reactionaries and furthermore, assume responsibility to coddle the ridiculous outburst of those individuals.

Google thinks they are a parent to the public and the public are children–bad children at that. So they provide bad parenting as a solution. This is total wreck. And sadly comical in discovering how they’ve arrived at this decision.

This grave sign and I hope they start to see the error of this to avoid similar decisions in the future. Google is definitely cracking up and for the Humpty-dumbest reasons possible.

What do you think? Is this sound reasoning? Or am I completely off base? Let me know in the comments below.

Extraordinary events occurred in 2016–2017 seems hellbent on following it into the toilet. Events which I am diametrically in opposition to. This world is taking the eerily uncanny step towards the Orwellian dystopia described in the book 1984. This step comes on the legs of alt-right movements across the globe. I feel it is a moral duty to do all I can to stand up and stop this catastrophe from solidifying in earnest.

I will make no qualms about my opinions as I write more and more. As they are informed by and change according to the evidence, logic, reason, science and truth. Being a philosophy major, I am primarily a truth-seeker, before anything else. Truth. Real, flesh and blood, truth. This word still means something to me. It means a lot to me. And if it means something to you, take this to heart–the death of truth will lead to the death of us all.

I feel truth is my largest political issue. Defending it now is more important than ever before. I will forever be an enemy of actions taken due to prejudices, irrationality, fear, and incompetence; these qualities in positions of power will cause the deaths of people subject to them. Instead we must demand and support candidates who exemplify the qualities of skepticism, humility, and gravitas.Since they seem to be in short supply, we must seek them out or become them ourselves.

As an American living abroad, I have been dismayed with how our political parties have been representing themselves; lacking these important qualities and often basic authenticity and integrity. I admit to feeling helpless at times, being so distant and watching my home country come undone at the seams. Nationalism had never been very strong in my personality but seeing Donald Trump sign executive orders made me realize the reverence I feel for the oval office. His mere presence there feels akin to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria personified.

We can no longer hold back and let ‘Alternative Facts’ hold any sway in our national or global discourse. It is my hope that truth prevails. The truth of Climate Change is the most important truth of our age. It is the largest threat to any nation’s security and well-being. This is it. This moment. It’s now or never. If Climate Change isn’t fought tooth and nail on an individual to global scale–it will end us. I’m not ready to give up. The best way I am fighting this is by living a vegan lifestyle as animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change. I urge you to watch the documentary Cowspiracy on Netflix. And commit to the most important action you can take against climate change by adopting a vegan lifestyle for the all animals (including humans), and their future vitality, on this planet.

My other major, outrageous problem in the world is income inequality. The 85 richest people in the world have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest. That is completely INSANE to me! We need to hold the rich accountable. Them having it all is causing immense suffering all over the world. When it all comes to a head, I’m sure they’ll repeat the infamous words ‘Let them eat cake.’ I will repeatedly state that I care not for the woes of an excessively rich person. As the pockets of the richest individuals deepen so to does the suffering on this planet.

There are so many issues and topics to explore. Kindness instead of hate. Falsehoods to rebuke. Moral failings to change into proud moments of moral action. The goal is simple. Progress instead of regress. It is a hard path to walk. But it is the right one and at this exceedingly precarious point in our history…it’s the only path remaining.